Destiny's Colors
by CloeGryffindor
Summary: Solomon had been their savior, and they hadn't managed to protect what he had hold dear. The three of them had failed him, but there was still a way to repent: Protecting this new world that was going to be formed. And that was just what they were going to do. After all, they weren't the Guardians of Solomon for nothing.
1. Prologue: The promise

**_Prologue: The promise_**

There was only darkness. Only death. Nothing more, nothing less. The bodies of their comrades littered the ground, their eyes opaque and void of life. The rukh in the air black, full of hate, envy, greed. Full of the traitors' hate towards their own fate. Alma Torran…. Was ruined. It was a world were no living thing could survive, and they knew it. Ugo's face showed it clearly. There was no salvation for this world, therefore there was only one more thing to do: Move to the new world they had created and live on, trying to recreate what was once a perfect society… Well most of them would. She didn't have that choice, and neither had her other two companions.

The three of them wouldn't live on, they couldn't. They had promised Solomon that they would protect the world that he created, _this_ world. Alma Torran. But they didn't, they arrived too late, too weak. They couldn't do anything else than watch the home they had fought to create crumble to nothing else than ash and dust. Watch how life changed to death, blessings to curses. They could only see the world they loved so much fall under the greed and rage of the ones that had fallen into depravity. Nothing was left, and with that, their promise had been broken. The same promise that had saved them from the abyss, the promise that had guided them, which had become their fate…. Broken.

But that was not the end, and the three of them knew it. The darkness in the air was a threat. A whisper. A evil that promised to come back. To destroy Solomon's new world, a world no longer protected by their friend and savior… _Their king_. And so, with the threat hanging in the air, the three of them made a new promise. A promise of retribution, but not of revenge. A promise that in future generations would be forgotten by all but the Guardian of the Palace.

_"__We, the three guardians, promise to this world, and to the rightful flow of rukh, that we will protect this new world when the dangers of depravity return. We promise to be there to help the proxy of our king, to protect his ideals. We promise to make things right, to let the rukh flow as it pleases. But above all. Above all, we promise this! We promise that we will not let this new world be destroyed by calamity! We will fight for the bright future of those not yet born!"_

Silence followed that promise, a silence that charged the air with power. Power coming from the three of them, and their staves. The power continued to increase in the next couple of minutes, until her body, and theirs, started to dissolve, to turn back to the rukh. But it was not death. They would not die until their promises were fulfilled, and even then, death would not come as a friend for them. Because they were strong, they were _the _guardians of Solomon.


	2. Chapter 1: The Red Flame

**Author's Note: **Here is the first real chapter of this fanfic. Yay! Hope you like it, and please let me know your opinion (Review). Oh! And I apologize if there are any grammatical errors, English is not my native language.

**Disclaimer: **The universe of Magi and its characters do not belong to me. I just own the plot and the original characters that pop out in the story.

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_**Chapter one: The Red Flame's curiosity**_

If someone wanted to tell a story, one should start from the beginning, then move on to the middle and conclude with the end, or so Artemisa supposed. Sadly, those weren't her intentions, even if she did want to tell her story. She simply couldn't start from the beginning, because if she did, the end would never come, and that was something she couldn't afford. Therefore, she had to find a point in her timeline from which she could start, and that was exactly what her companions and her did. A simple choice. They would not start from the beginning; neither would they start from the end. No, Artemisa would start her story from the moment things started to become interesting. A moment that would be marked in history… Well, she wasn't so sure about that last bit, but Kouen seemed adamant about it… That mighty king… Still, it was quite the moment, even she had to admit that, after all, it was the first time of many in which her colored fate brushed against the Red Flame's burning one.

It was summer. The hottest season of the year, and Artemisa's most hated one. By far, she preferred the autumn, with the leaves falling soothingly, or winter, white snow falling and covering every surface. Yeah, those were seasons she liked, summer wasn't for her, but she had to live with it, since it was part of the natural order. So, when summer came, she chose to remain inside, in the shade. Not that she could do that at the moment, she and her companions had just been ordered by the innkeeper to go sigh-seeing. Somewhere along the way, she had lost both Jolimar and Orion, thus she had decided to do something she liked. That something being nothing else than buying Torran manuscripts in the black market. It had cost its fair amount of Huang, but it was worth it. An Alma Torran manuscript was priceless. Even if it wasn't historically accurated.

"Finally, my deserved peace and quiet." And it was surprisingly so, after she had moved out of the busy Main Street from the major city of Kou in which she was staying. It was quite the surprise, since the city had been submerged in chaos from the moment the news of the 'Entei' visiting for the Imperial Tour. Kouen, the red flame, Entei, the flame emperor-to-be… Such a curious name. Curious to the point Artemisa wondered if his father had given the Prince that name in purpose, or if it had been all a part of fate's games. And while she would like to think the former was true, she supposed that the latter. Fate had its way of working things out. Still, the Red Flame, lived up to his curious name being an even more character. Always being followed by war, shredded in mystery, and she had to meet him. Not as a fanatics wish to meet its master, Artemisa had to meet it for another reasons. She needed to meet him to know if he, and his country, deserved their help, or not. A delicate decision that had fallen in her shoulders and in the ones of a magician with a cheesy smile and an eternally annoyed Fanalis.

Sighing once again at the idea of her decisions affecting the flow of rukh, Artemisa rolled the eyes and glanced at her surroundings, finding herself at the middle of one of the city's many bridges. A bridge that was strangely deserted.

"Strange…" Mumbling softly, she reached for the script in her bag and opened it carefully, almost trembling with the curiosity that shook her to her very core.

"Let's see… This is combination forms the name of Solomon….. And this part tells about his last days of reign…" She knew that both, reading the manuscript at plain sight and mumbling it's meaning outloud weren't the brightest of the ideas, but her curiosity had gotten the best of her, making her lower her defenses. A big mistake. But she was in the middle of a deserted bridge, nothing interesting would happen in a deserted bridge… Or so she hoped, a naïve hope, now that she thought about it.

"What do you have there? Is that a Torran manuscript?" Jumping in surprise, Artemisa glanced precariously to the stranger that had spoken out, a tall red haired individual with an intimidating presence. (Or was it carmesi? She had never been good at identifying the different shades of red perfectly.)

"….." He hadn't been there from the start. Had he? And if he did, how had the mysterious character known that it was a Torran manuscript? Hell, _how _did he know about the Torran language in general? The information about Torran Tribes weren't accessible to everyone. "…..Are you a pervert historian…?" He was closer than social norms allowed, and his goatee was pretty creepy… A shame really, he was quite handsome, and it seemed that he was knowledgeable too.

"How dare you say that about the First Prince Kouen!" Was that a creature of Alma Torran? Gods, that would be splendid if it was, she missed her talks with other species. Sadly, she knew that was impossible, the last members of other intelligent species were djinns, therefore the only explanation was the he was an household vessel.

"Hold up a moment…. Did you just said First Prince_ Kouen_?" Well damn. She was in trouble… Insulting the future Emperor wasn't something that would be forgiven easily, and Artemisa knew that. But… Surprisingly enough, Kouen wasn't as scary as she thought he would be. Impressive, yes, regal, yes, powerful, hell yeah. Still, even if he did look like a king, there was_ something_ missing… Ren Kouen would become a great emperor, but he could not become the King of the World… Or maybe that was just her opinion, since she couldn't help but to compare him to Solomon, in which Kouen wasn't that impressive.

"….. _First Prince Kouen_?" Repeating this slowly, she took a step back (Mostly because the Prince was breathing in her neck and that was giving her chills) and tilted her head in astonishment. The nod from the one she had thought a pervert confirmed her fear, she was doomed.

Rolling the scroll back to its original farm, she turned to the judge of her fate and bowed deeply. Maybe she could get the other to forgive her. "I apologize, Your Highness. I just arrived to the Kou Empire, therefore I don't really know much about the royal family." Artemisa hoped that was a good apologize… She had added the politeness needed, but somehow it had sounded a little dry… Curse her hate to bow down to someone that wasn't her own king. It seemed that she had to talk to Orion later for some acting classes, she desperately needed that skill.

"And answering Your Highness question, indeed, the scroll I have in my hands is a manuscript of the Torran language, I just acquired it." Hey, she had already insulted the royalty of the country, she at least could tell the truth about that matter.

"And do you understand it? You seemed to be reading it quite thoroughly." … Or not. The shiver that had suddenly traveled her spine told her that she had committed a terrible mistake. Something was cooking up in his pretty little mind, and with the looks coming from what she supposed were his Household Vessels, she _had_ to answer his question, or a world of came would came upon her.

"Yes, sir. For certain… Reasons, I am able to speak the Toran language, write it, and read it." There was no way she would tell him that she was from a Torran tribe, not now, she was already in trouble and that would only make things worst… She supposed. She had to have some secrets, and _that_ didn't count. That was more of a conspiracy.

"You will work in my library as an archivist, and you will organize the Toran manuscripts in my possession by importance… Of course, you will teach me the language, too." Yes, she was right, she was in deep trouble. Jolimar was going to kill her, and Orion would never let her live down the moment in which she pretty much compromised their missions.

"Wait… What?" She had got to stop spending all her time with her companions. She loved them to death, and _beyond_ that, but they weren't exactly the best when it came with to quick retorts.

"You heard me, didn't you? And let me clarify. This is an _order_, and you have _no_ right to deny it." Would she be in extreme trouble if she hurt him, even just a _little_? Normally she would like to have a conversation with people like the Entei, but she did not like to be ordered by anyone other than her king. And he was without a doubt _not_ her king.

"I am sorry for refusing the_ request_, but I am travelling with other two companions and if they don't accompany me, I cannot possibly accept." Glaring coldly at the Prince, Artemisa almost huffed with indignation, but she was better than that and she knew that. "And, what would people think if a commoner started teaching the First Prince?" That last part was a long shot, and she knew it, since the vessels expression had turned to an angry indignation, and the soldiers accompanying him had already unsheathed their swords. They could try to kill her, she just wouldn't let them take more than one step towards her. But in comparison to his Generals, Kouen seemed strangely amused, not mad, nor annoyed: amused.

"Sheath your swords, they won't be necessary. Miss….?"

"Artemisa… Artemisa Shima." She understood the irony, having the last name that literally meant 'island', when she had been born in an island.

"Well, Shima-san, what would you think about coming to the Kou Palace with your friends? I will arrange to give him the commodities they need, in exchange for your knowledge. " He hadn't argued about the comment she had thought was a long shot, letting her know that indeed, that could be a problem indeed, but she couldn't deny that last offer, since that was just what her companions and her needed to find out the information their trio needed.

"….. I accept."


	3. Chapter 2: A Fanalis Thoughts

**Author's Note: **Okay then! This is my second chapter~ Sorry I took so long writing it… High School is more difficult than I thought it would be. But here I am~ So let me explain you a little bit about whose point of view is this chapter written from. She is Jolimar and she is the fanalis in the group, and as a fanalis she suffered from slavery… But I won't tell you more since it would be spoiler. Either way, this chapter is mainly made to introduce her and her personality, and I am going to do the same thing for Orion, writing a chapter in his perspective. But mostly, the chapters are going to be in Artemisa's point of view since it is easier for me to write as her. Oh, yeah! Sorry if I have made any grammatical mistakes, English is not my first language so I am doing my best.

**Now, my answer to those who reviewed, by the way, thank you for doing it!:**

**Otaku of the Century: **Is wonderful that you are liking the story! Sorry for not showing you much of Artemisa in this chapter, but I promise that the next one will have her. And yeah, I am thinking in doing it so it is Kouen/OC, but I am still not sure about the pairings in the story.

**Guest: **Yep. There is three guardians, and those are my main three OCs, but I will probably add another one or two OCs in future arcs(so towards ten or so chapter more). And sorry! But I am not really planning in doing a pairing with Kouha… I love him too, but I don't think he would like neither Artemisa nor Jolimar romantically. But that doesn't mean that he isn't going to appear, no, and he will probably befriend one of the guardians… But that is all I can say.

_By the way! Please review! It helps me know what you like and dislike of my story, and if I am doing any of the canon characters OOC. In general, reviews help me improve my writing._

**Disclaimer:** The universe of Magi and its characters do not belong to me. I just own the plot and the original characters that pop out in the story.

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_**Chapter two: A Fanalis Thoughts**_

Jolimar didn't exactly _hate _the Kou Empire. She just hated its views in slavery, _and _its Empress… And maybe its aristocracy, those bastards that called themselves nobles, pigs that never thought of the less fortunate ones. But she didn't hate_ all_ of Kou. Its culture was an interesting one, and she didn't dislike _most _of its royalty, from what she had heard in the past, most of the Ren family was not as bad as other members of royalty. Still, even if she knew that, she was sure that she would not get along with any of those little princelings and princesses. She simply disliked the idea of getting close to figures of power, and the idea of being friendly with people that approved of slavery, even Kou's slavery that only lasted for about five years, _disgusted_ her profusely.

That is why the scene that was developing in front of her eyes annoyed her tremendously.

One thing was wanting to collect information about the Imperial Family,_ another_ thing completely different was accepting to work for them… Or whatever Artemisa had accepted to do with the First Prince. Either way, it was a terribly bad idea, and she hoped the little girl knew it. They were going to be living in the same place than the damned traitors of Al-Thamen. And, _oh gods_, Jolimar would have to interact with royalty of all things. That was definitively _not_ a good idea; it was an equation for disaster.

"Like hell will I act like a damn prissy peasant. Just lettin' ya know, Arty." Growling under her breath, Jolimar glared at the road in front of her, annoyance noticeable in her position. "And there is no way in I will change my vocabulary. It is time for the little royals to be exposed to the real world." Resting one hand in her hip, she made sure that her twin swords were strapped securely, and visibly, at her side.

"Yeah, yeah. I understand from where you are coming from Jolimar. But for Solomon's sake don' insult the Emperor Koutoku. It would be a pain to save you from their dungeons and fight our way out." Resting her eyes in the petite figure of her 'leader' of sorts, she let out a sight of frustration and nodded.

"I ain't stupid enough to do that, so you don't need to worry yourself."

"I don't know if stupid would describe you, but I am pretty sure reckless would, and that would cause problems too." Eyes snapping to her left, Jolimar glared at the magician deeply.

"Shut it, Goldilocks. I am not in the mood to humor your teasing." She was way to stressed, and annoyed, to bicker with the damn magician like she normally did.

"Goldilocks? What happened with 'Prince'? Did you get bored of that nickname?" Hearing the hopeful undertone in Orion, she couldn't stop herself from chuckling.

"Sorry to smash your spark of hope, _Prince_. But I ain't getting bored of that nickname anytime soon, and that is your own little fault. Ya look way too much like a royal for me to stop." With his blonde hair, height and amber eyes, Orion attracted much more attention than their small group desired, and it didn't help that the guy had been raised like a noble, since that meant that even his way of standing screamed royalty.

"I have to side with Joli with this, Orion. You attract attention with only standing there, and all of you, from your exotic clothes to your charming smile, scream 'Prince' and 'Nobility'. "Humming with agreement next to her, Artemisa answered while playing unconsciously with her white scarf.

"Well, if even Misa says so, I suppose I do look like royalty… But still! I would prefer if you didn't call me that while we are in Kou, we don't want them to believe that I am in fact a prince."

"Yeah, yeah. I understand that, that is why I am calling you Goldilocks." Shrugging once, Jolimar eyes went back to the road and sighed in frustration. "Now… Where is that damned Prince?! He told you to wait him in the East Road at sunrise didn't he?! Then where the hell is he?!"

"He is probably making us wait to demonstrate our difference in social standings, AKA, making us wait because he is a Prince and because we don't have the option to walk away. His soldiers are making sure of that." Answering her question in the Torran language, Orian signaled to the three Kou soldiers watching them silently from the distance. "Since at first meeting Artemisa doesn't look neither dangerous nor imposing, he probably thought that her companions were nothing worth worrying about… Probably a big mistake, since those three flimsy soldiers can't possibly be a challenge against a dungeon capturer, a powerful magician, and an annoyed fanalis."

"More importantly, he probably knows that no intellectual would pass the change of entering the royal library… And the fact that I am one is more than obvious." Admitting the last part in defeat, Artemisa bent down slightly and let her forehead rest in her horse's mane.

"Guess you two are right… I'm starting to hear the distinct sound of hooves in the distance…. I don't think Entei is using a carriage… What a surprise…" Changing languages to the common language, Jolimar let her mind wander, knowing that what was to come would probably take away her chance of revisiting her memories every once in a while. A thought that both relieved and condemned her. Her past was something she couldn't escape of, she couldn't run from, and couldn't forget. It chained her, just as the metal chains had done in her childhood, but sadly, there was no friendly smith to save her this time. The smith that had saved her sorry fanalis ass had been killed by no other than the damn Reim Coliseum. A place that haunted her in her nightmare, and a place she would have to go back to. After all Reim was, is, and would be, one of the three pillars they wanted to construct to achieve their objective.

"Just to check for a last time. Orion, did you put the shield around us? I wouldn't want the Oracle of Kou to discover the unimaginable amount of rukh that dwells within us." Closing, Artemisa straightened herself up, while Jolimar prepared herself for a long run. Being a fanalis and giving off a dangerous aura, animals preferred to avoid her. Probably because they understood that she was nothing short of a predator.

"Yes, I put extra care in it. After all, it would be a real pain if Judal decided that you were worthy of capturing a dungeon… You did tell us that having Seir and Amdusias was the perfect balance." Fixing her red hair in a ponytail, she made sure to stretch her muscles carefully. Getting an injury at this part of the game would most likely be fatal for their plans, and they couldn't risk that.

"Dunno why you worry about putting the shield in me… I can always say that I am of fanalis ancestors but that most of my family is human… There are cases with fanalis with great amounts of magoi in them."

"Yes there are.. But most of those cases are rare… And that would attract both the princes and Al-Thamen attentions, and we already decided that I am going to be the one that interacts with the Ren, and that both of you will try to avoid any contact." Saying this, her leader took her reins in her hand and turned towards them. "Remember. Here in Kou both fanalis and magicians are rare, and most of the times are treated as enemies, so try not to create much ruckus." With that, she kicked her stallion's side softly and started to gallop towards the front of the long caravan of soldiers, courtesans and generals, where Kouen had asked her to meet him.

Their place in the caravan was towards the back, were she could run without a multitude of horses surrounding her, and where Orion could fly without being cursed at, so both of them had still some time before having to move.

And since Artemisa was gone, they could relax just-so-slightly, since the departure of their friend was a signal that alerted them that their plan was slowly being put in motion.

"So, do you really think we will be lucky enough to avoid the Imperial family during our stay?"

"Nah. That would be a miracle, and we can't afford a miracle at the start of this game, we would need them later, when things get nasty." Oh, things were going to get nasty. They knew it without a doubt. After all, Al-Thamen witch was still on the loose, and Depravity was becoming something they saw at least once a month, even if they tried to stop it.

"I suppose you are right. At least, I hope we can avoid that damned Empress until we leave. If she recognizes us, we are through."

"That is why you gotta work hard in creating _that_ spell. If ya manage to achieve its creation, then we will have an ace under our sleeves that even they can't destroy." And if things went as planned they would have that ace pretty soon. Sadly, things _never_ went as planned, no matter how long they spent planning.

"Yes, I know… But somehow I am stuck… I need some magic textbooks as reference and I somehow doubt Kou Palace's library will have them… And I have to meet with Yunan too…. There is something I am wondering, and that only he can explain."

"That's not good… We ain't schedule to meet the Wandering Magi until about two more years… You will have to find an opening in which you can go find him… Preferably before we go to visit my damned country of origin." Grumbling, Jolimar glanced at the three soldiers that were still behind them, and nodded to herself when she saw them preparing their horses to move, their place in the caravan was coming closer.

"Yeah… Life will become pretty hectic when the plan really starts to move," Nodding to confirm her comment, Orion picked up his staff from the tree it had been resting in. "Still don't know why you hate Reim so much. Yes, they did that, but in comparison to Qishan." Groaning, she shook her head, trying to shake away her memories from that place.

"Don't remind me of Qishan. I hate Qishan." After that, a comfortable silence fell between the two, a silence only broken by the soldiers behind them when they moved their horses towards the caravan.

"Well then… Let's start this game…" Mumbling lowly to herself, Jolimar kicked the ground softly and dashed towards their column in the caravan in what would seem a full sprint for others, but that was a jog for her fanalis body.


	4. Chapter 3: A mind made for observation

**Author's Note: **Okay then! This is my third chapter~ I know it is a little short but I just needed to add something small in Artemisa's point of view before continuing to Orion's point of view. I promise that chapter will be at least 2,000 words! Sorry if I have made any grammatical mistakes, English is not my first language so I am doing my best.

**Now, my answer to those who reviewed, by the way, thank you for doing it!:**

**Ashia21: **Thanks for reviewing so much! I am really grateful! And it is good that you liked it! Sadly I am planning to add some romance to the story, but don't worry! It will take a long while to a appear! And I will make sure that it doesn't appear awkward nor forced! And thanks for telling me your opinion about my OCs. Yes I suppose they appear side characters for now, and they probably will still appear for a while, since they don't really take much action in the future chapters. But I will try to make them seem more important and well rounded!

_By the way! Please review! It helps me know what you like and dislike of my story, and if I am doing any of the canon characters OOC. In general, reviews help me improve my writing._

**Disclaimer:** The universe of Magi and its characters do not belong to me. I just own the plot and the original characters that pop out in the story.

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_**Chapter three: A mind made for observation.**_

Riding had always been an escape. It helped her steel her resolve for the events to come, to fix the ever present cracks in her mask, and more importantly it served as the perfect moment for her to _think, _to plan, to ponder.

Riding was what she did if she needed to think, her companions in the other hand had completely different methods for that. Jolimar thought better if she was at the forge, hammering her frustrations and confusions into the metal, and Orion… Well Orion was quite the productive thinker. If he ever needed to ponder about something, he created. Spells, sculptures, poems, food… He did any of those things to think, and strangely enough, he always managed to find a solution to his problems with that method.

So, you could say that Artemisa understood that different people had different ways of doing things, because she did. She understood that the three of them had been raised in different situations, thus they were different. She understood that that applied to the rest to the world too, but she couldn't take that last part to heart, mostly because the majority of the people she had meet before were, in her opinion, so _simple. _

All of those people, except for a rare minority, were predictable. Easy to figure out, in other words: simple.

Orion had told her multiple times that she found others simple because she was observant. And she had to agree with him in that. She could easily pick up someone's background, education, habits and state of mind with nothing more than a glance from her steely eyes. She could easily open someone's else mind in a couple of minutes, and that is why anything that she didn't deem as extraordinary was simple.

Still, that didn't stop her from wanting to achieve her ideals, it simple encourage her more, since she understood what others thought, what they felt. She was _empathic; _she could put herself in the shoes of other people in any situation.

She was good at reading people, and she could read anyone….

Or so she thought until she meet the principal figures in the game Destiny itself was playing.

The first figure that made her realize she couldn't read all people was no other than Ren Kouen himself.

They, Kouen's Imperial guard and her trio, had departed from the city of Anyang* a couple of days ago, and since the moment Entei had greeted her when she joined the caravan he hadn't talked once. No matter how many times she took out the Alma Torran papyrus she had, he hadn't uttered a word. The questions she directed towards him ('Could I gallop for a bit?' 'How long is the journey from here to the capital?' etc…) were curtly, and darkly, by his Household Vessels.

They had eaten, gone to sleep, woken up, and galloped. And the damn First Prince hadn't uttered  
A.

Single.

Word.

In situations like this, Artemisa would use her observation skills to guess what the other was thinking. The problem was that the handsome features of the Red Flame were _completely and utterly blank_. There was no twitch of his eyebrows, and it almost seemed as if he were dead…. Almost, since he still moved… And more importantly, he _observed_ her. Observed her eat, observed her read the manuscripts… Observed her every single moment she was at his side.

And she knew, oh, she knew, she was being scrutinized to the most minuscule point. From the tip of her toes to her hair, she was being analyzed, dissected, as if she were an exotic species.

Luckily for her, and sadly for him, she was a good as Kouen when it came to put up a blank mask. It came naturally for her, and she was intelligent enough to know how and when to use it.

What had started in her being analyzed had become a competition to see who would be the first one to let their mask crack. And under the merciless sun of a road that had no trees anywhere to be seen, it seemed as if the battle would continue until the Castle.

Still, the moment passed. The outriders came back and declared that the capital was at no more than a couple of hours away. And then, and only then, was when Ren Kouen spoke.

"You will be working in the Royal Library during your stay in the Kou Palace. As for your friends, they cannot be freelancers, so if they are skilled in any job, you should notify me." Surprisingly enough, Kouen's voice was somewhat enjoyable. It was deep and regal, and Artemisa had to admit that she liked how it sounded… But if that voice ever dared to order her around, she would make sure that it wouldn't sound again.

"Jolimar, the fanalis, has an incomparable skill when it comes to smith jobs, and Orion, the blond magician that accompanies us, is an excellent chef with knowledge of exotic foods." Never would she tell Kouen that Jolimar forged both of her metal vessels with Valyrian steel**, and that Orion was capable to create powerful potions from the ingredients found in any kitchen. The Entei didn't need to know of that, not that day, not ever.

"Understood, I shall see that they are given some extra work in the kitchen and the forgery. In exchange, I expect you to teach me all you know about Alma Torran." Neither would the Entei know that she wasn't going to explain all of her knowledge. It was too soon for that.

With a nod from her part, Artemisa rubbed the chain of the golden necklace she took everywhere and let her eyes wander to her surroundings, knowing that the closer they were to the capital, the greater the danger she was in.

"I will try to do just so. But don't expect much of me, for I am simply the daughter of a Torran Villager." Lies, all lies, but she couldn't tell him the truth even if he wanted. It was far too dangerous.

"If you think that would stop my drive for knowledge, then you are gravely mistaken." At least it seemed that he wasn't one for giving up. A small smile forming in her lips, she nodded, turning her head away. She didn't want him to see the amused expression she now portrayed.

"I would never think of that." Those were the last words any of the two spoke, both of them choosing to remain silent to analyze every single detail of the small conversation they had, in hope to find something they could use against the other… Not that either of them did.

The rest of the trip, she spent it in a comfortable silence, forgetting of the others presence easily, for she wanted nothing more than to arrive to the capital and bathe. The sweat and exhaustion of the past couple of days clung tightly to her skin, and she had never felt so dirty before. Always being able to bathe in any of the rivers they passed by without any worry. But now it was different, since she did not dare to leave her possessions without a guard for even a second.

The things she had in her bags were much too valuable, too exotic, too rare, for that.

So when she saw the far away walls of the palace, she couldn't stop herself from mumbling in her native tongue three simply words.

_"Let it begin."_

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Here it is~ Now let me explain a little: This story starts about one or two years before the Manga starts, so it will take a while for the main characters of Magi to appear. Oh! And here you have a small list of my three OCs for you to remember them!

**Artemisa**

Artemisa is the main of my OCs, and she is the trios Dungeon Capturer. (I already mentioned her djinns in the last chapter, just in case you would want to know them). She is the 'leader' of the trio and she is the one that plans their every move, or tries to do so. She is a member of the Torran tribe, so she can read and write Torran. She is 25 years old.

**Jolimar**

An ex-slave from Reim. Her savior,a smith that taught her everything he knew. was brutally killed in the Coliseum in front of her eyes when she was 12 and since then she became a violent and always annoyed character. She is pretty much the most likely of my characters to call bullshit and she doesn't care if she is insulting royalty or commoner. She is 20 years old.

**Orion**

The blond magician that made his entrance in the last chapter. He was born from nobles in Balbadd, her mother being a distant relative of Alibaba's father. He is a cheerful fellow that has regal air. His magic field is light and he is trying to produce a spell that will help with the black rukh... Wonder how. Don't underestimate him, he is one of the most powerful magicians alive, after the magis. He is 26 years old.

*Anyang was a city in Ancient China, and since Kou is based in China... Well, you see where am I going.

** A steel that is extremely rare to find, and which smiths need help from magicians to create. Sue me, I did a Game of Thrones reference in an anime fanfiction.


	5. Chapter 4: The Magician's conclusion

**Author's Note:** Sorry this was so late... It has been almost three months since last update and I am sooo sorry. It seems High School way harder than I thought, but here it is. The chapter I promised with over 2,000 words. This is going to be Orion's introductory chapter, so I hope you like him~

**Now, my answer to those who reviewed, by the way, thank you for doing it!:**

**Ashia21****: **Yeah, I suppose it was a little short, and sorry about that. I am trying to write my chapters longer, but since it is only the beginning there is not much that happens in each individual chapter. But I swear I will make my chapters longer from now on. And about my OCs, I am asking some of my friends to stop me if they ever think I am writing a Mary Sue, but it would be really helpful if you tell me if I make them mary sues~ And yeah, that competition is probably going to happen at least once more, but I am not completely sure about it. And thanks for reviewing~

**JackFrost14**: Thanks for reviewing, and hopefully you will like where this goes.

_By the way! Please review! It helps me know what you like and dislike of my story, and if I am doing any of the canon characters OOC. In general, reviews help me improve my writing._

**Disclaimer:** The universe of Magi and its characters do not belong to me. I just own the plot and the original characters that pop out in the story.

* * *

_**Chapter four: The Magician's conclusion.**_

"New kitchen aid, Orion Jasu at your service."

Of course, he would have loved if he had been placed in a higher position, a chef for example, but even Orion knew that that was nothing short of impossible. A newcomer of unknown origins would rarely find a job; even rarer was the fact that he had gotten a job in a pace such as Kou's Imperial Palace. Not any chef could cook for royalty, and the sole fact that he, Orion Jasu, was going to be working in the kitchens of this gigantic palace, was nothing short of a miracle…

Or so it should have been….

If he had actually cared about such things, but sadly, he didn't.

Neither he, nor his companions needed money. And for him, the matter of having a good job was trivial in comparison to the quest his merry little trio had been assigned.

Their task was a seriously serious job that they should complete with a seriously serious face….

Or that is what Artemisa had tried to tell him years ago, before the petite girl had erupted n laughter.

Yes, they understood that their job was extremely important for the survival of the human race…. And other creatures (Jolimar liked to remind him of this in a kindly painful way), but, come on! It was impossible to walk through life with a serious face….

Okay, maybe almost impossible. Ren Kouen was an oddity.

Still, Orion knew that well. A serious face could be extremely difficult to keep in every situation.

He knew this not because he had a tragic backstory, please, what did you take him for? He knew because he didn't. He knew the marvelous importance of a kind smile.

So, in general, Orion knew that he should feel honored to be a kitchen aid in such an important place as an Imperial Palace…

He knew that, but he could not feel honored. He simply didn't. The job was nothing more than a chore, something they had to do, even if they didn't want to. Yes, he loved cooking, but it lost its charm when he was being forced to do so. Not that he could do anything about it. Both Joli and he had to pretend they felt honored, to pretend they were at least slightly interested in their jobs. That was what their colored destiny had led them to. And they had to follow the flow of rukh, they could not change it until the exact moment they wished to change.

They could not allow a tragedy similar to the one in Alma Torran.

They simply couldn't.

They had risked too much by solely being there, by creating a new chance for the world.

They had already lost too much by arriving too late. That couldn't happen again. They wouldn't be able to come out of such a massacre for a second time.

They could not afford for anything to go wrong.

It would be too dangerous.

So every detail should be perfect, or almost so.

Every rough edge should be polished.

Every wrong should be turned right…

Or that was what he supposed Artemisa would tell them when the time came. When they had to throw everything away to protect the world they hold dear… Probably. He didn't really know. How could he? He wasn't a leader, nor a tactician, like Misa. He did not rely in careful planning and tactics, neither did he rely in instinct nor force, like Jolimar did. No, he relied in something completely different: manipulation.

He was a man that preferred lies over honesty, manipulation over diplomacy, secret over planning….

The perfect set of traits for someone of noble birth, raised by nobles to be one.

He was an actor, a manipulator…. In short, he was a noble, not a diplomat. Neither was Jolimar, and that had gotten them into trouble more than once.

"Hey, Jasu! Ya're under the care of Chongen, in the back. Your gotta work taking food to the noble guests. The boss says so."

Oh~ So his work would consist of walking around the palace talking to nobles? What a shame, he had wanted to at least be a rice cook… But well, he couldn't exactly whine about his new job, could he? He had gotten such a convenient job… Well, it would have been if he was interested in meeting those obnoxious rats that controlled Kou. But he didn't, so it wasn't anything else than a nuisance.

"Oh, I can't wait~ Do I get to meet pretty maids?"

As it turned out, no, he didn't get to meet any maids, neither creepy nor pretty… A shame really, Kou was rumored to have beautiful women.

At least he had managed to hear some interesting rumors.

Who would have known that so many of Kou's princes had metal vessels? The black magi sure had been busy~ He had ot only raised three dungeons for Kouen, but he had also raised Dantalion', Paimon's, Leraje's and even Vinea's dungeons!

One thing was for sure, with so many djinn holders Kou Empire had become a powerhouse.

…

He should tell the others this, but Artemisa probably already knew, and he doubted Jolimar would actually care.

So why would he bother?

Orion would prefer by far to spend his free time exploring rather than delivering grave news, it wasn't his style, and he could actually deliver the news later. A little wit never killed anybody, right?

First, he had to take a closer look to the garden he had walked by earlier that day. It had looked well cared for, and the exotic plants decorating it were calling him. He was not going to do anything bad, just a little exploring. So what possibly could go wrong?

_Everything._

_Everything _could go wrong.

The spear resting in his throat was a great example of this.

Now, Orion could easily blow his opponent to pieces with a spell, _but that wasn't nice_… And it would probably cost his life.

Killing a prince was not a good idea. Even less if that prince was Ren Hakuryuu. Killing a _Ren_ was just a terrible idea in general, and any idiot would be able to see that.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" From the princelings tone, Orion could infer that he was somewhere where he shouldn't be… Great, he was getting in trouble from his first day in the palace, Artemisa was going to _kill _him, and Jolimar would never let him forget this one.

"I fear you should be more specific, Your Highness. What I am doing here? Are you talking about me being here in this world in general, me being here in the Kou Empire, or me being here in this specific garden in the palace?" Yes, he had to go and _try _to annoy the prince. He already was in trouble; he should at least tease the prince a little bit, shouldn't he?

"I meant here in this garden. Answer quickly, or I will call the guards immediately." Man, what an uptight boy… Had he woken up in the wrong side of the futon? Or maybe he had fallen of his bed? Probably the former.

"Oh? So I am somewhere I am not supposed to be? I thought the gardens weren't off-limits! Or… Maybe… Did I interrupt Your Grace's midday nap?" Nailed it.

"The Gardens are off-limits to townspeople." Wow, how serious. Had the prince even noticed that he had just mocked him? It didn't seem like he had.

Oh, wait… There it was. That was a glare of understanding. Yep, Hakuryuu had noticed the mockery, alright. How outstanding of him, most people didn't notice he was making fun of them until it was already too late.

"I will ask you to leave now, Kou citizens are not allowed here." Rude. He wasn't a Kou citizen. He even doubted he looked like one, since Kou citizens tended to have black or red hair and his hair was of a bright amber color. But if the princeling didn't know his citizens well enough to differentiate a foreigner from them… Well, then it was his problem. It would be too much of a pain to explain to him that he was in fact not a citizen. And he was actually far too preoccupied wondering why in the world the princeling was acting like a haughty little noble.

Wasn't Hakuryuu Ren supposed to be nice?

Or at least that was what the other kitchen aids had told him that morning, when he had asked about the Ren Family.

"I did not mean to offend you, Your Graciousness." He actually had, but Orion had to at least try to calm the prince down. The spear in his throat was making him kind of nervous. "You look kind of tired. As if you just woke up from a nap." Confused as he was, Orion initially didn't realize that the prince seemed somehow nervous... Neither did he realize at first that a different type of rukh had entered the courtyard until it was already too late.

The rukh of a dungeon capturer… _Interesting._

Yes, Orion realized he should probably shut up, apologize and leave the courtyard as fast as he could… But the behavior of the fidgety prince in front of him had picked his curiosity.

"Hakuryuu!" What in the world are you doing?!"

…Wait… Blinking once in surprise, Orion stole a quick glance of the individual that had just entered the garden. It was a woman… _A beautiful woman_. The Kou Empite had a beautiful woman as a dungeon capturer… Nice. That meant that Artemisa would not be an anomaly for them if they ever discovered that she also had djinns of her own.

"I am warning this intruder about the consequences of entering the palace. " What a liar, he had not once told him what was going to happen to him. Sighing dramatically, Orion carefully pushed the spear away from his throat and rolled his eyes to the prince's comment."

"I apologize for not revealing this sooner, Your Highness… But actually, I am a part of the kitchen staff, a kitchen aid to be specific." Upss. He should have probably mentioned that sooner… shouldn't he?

"Why would I believe you?" For Solomon's sake! Why was the little prince so stubborn? As far as he knew, he didn't look as a threat towards the Imperial family. He had carefully picked his clothes to show just that… Oh wait, he was wearing an uniform.

"Well, you should believe me because it is the truth. I am wearing the kitchen staff uniform, am I not?" Cross his heart and hope to die, stick a needle on his eye and all that weird rhyme Misa had taught him.

"Is that so? Hakuryuu, put down your weapon. He does not seem to be lying, and it would be terrible if we did indeed kill one of the staff." Well, the woman was right; he had been telling the truth. But still, it wasn't as if it were that easy to tell if he was lying or not. His specialty dealt with lies themselves after all. "Forgive my little brother, lately there have been multiple attempts of assassination towards the royal family. This has made my brother slightly paranoid."

Now, that was an interesting tidbit. Not a _surprise_, since the Empire of Kou had multiple enemies, but interesting nonetheless.

Interesting enough to look into. Orion and his little group couldn't have any dungeon capturer dying before Artemisa got the information they needed. It wouldn't feel right.

"Oh, don't need to apologize, m'lady. From what you are telling me, Prince Hakuryuu here was reacting according to the situation at hand." And if it had been Orion in the prince's place, he was sure he would have reacted much more violently than Hakuryuu had. Mostly because he thought assassins were nothing more than filth and they deserved to be destroyed… That was _his _personal opinion, one which neither Misa nor Joli agreed on. But their childhood had been different. They hadn't lived what he had.


End file.
